UNIS: Kpop's 5th gen rookie, controversial because some members haven't grown all their teeth yet

UNIS is a girl group formed through SBS's reality show "Universe Ticket". It is also the first idol group to be launched by F&F Entertainment, the co-producer of "Universe Ticket" since its inception.

UNIS debuted on March 27, 2024 with the mini album WE UNIS, consisting of 5 songs, "Superwoman", "Butterfly's Dream", "Watchu Need", "Dopamine" and "Dream of girls".

The group's management company, F&F Entertainment, said that UNIS stands for "Universe is Started" and "U&I Story", implying the group's desire to continue the story that the members started on the show and will take place in the future.

At the launch, leader Jin Hyeon Ju expressed, "UNIS is finally launched. A lot of memories are rushing back, from the time I dreamed of becoming a singer to competing and being selected in the "Universe Ticket". I will show everyone a great stage to respond to the love that everyone has given us."

Expressing the youthful spirit and strong instinct to direct the dream of their debut album, Elisia said, "We want to be a favorite group all over the world one day."

The launch of UNIS received a warm response from viewers even before the official launch. About 18 million votes were cast in the "Universe Ticket" program from around the world, helping UNIS gain more than 760,000 followers on its TikTok account as of March.

The group has 8 members, including: four members from Korea: Jin Hyeon Ju, Bang Yunha, Lim Seowon, Oh Yoona; two Japanese members, Nana, Kotoko; two Filipino members are Gehlee and Elisia.

Elijah

Elisia Lyrisse Parmisano aka Elisia was born on April 18, 2009. She is a former actress, child model in the Philippines and is famous as a former trainee of Starship Entertainment. She is the cousin of HORI7ON Marcus, an all-Filipino boy band based in South Korea.

Bang Yunha

Yunha's face initially became familiar after becoming a former JYP Entertainment trainee and modeling for many children's brands. She also participated in music acting and ballet before joining UNIS. Bang Yunha was born on February 28, 2009.

Nana

Nana was born on June 6, 2007 in Tokyo, Japan. She is a big fan of K-dramas and BTS is the group that makes Nana want to debut as an idol.

Gehlee Dangca

Gehlee Dangca was born on August 19, 2007. Before becoming a Kpop idol, she used to be a contest contestant and fashion model in the Philippines.

Im Seowon

Born on January 27, 2011, Im Seowon became the youngest child of UNIS. She debuted as a solo artist in 2021 and is best known for participating in Miss Trot 2.

Although Seo Won's singing and dancing skills are highly appreciated. The singer, who is about to turn 13 years old, has a pretty face, when he smiles, revealing his teeth because his new teeth have not yet grown. This has sparked controversy on social networks recently. Many people think that Seo Won is too young to enter showbiz and may "lose his childhood" if he pursues his dream of becoming an idol singer.

Oh Yoona

Oh Yoona was first known through the pre-debut group Free In Sass and Play With Me Club. She has impressive singing and dancing skills, and can also play the drums. Yoona's birthday was on October 7, 2009.

Kotoko

Kotoko was born on October 28, 2007, along with Nana and Gehlee as members of the 07-liner. "Universe Ticket" was the first audition she participated in.

Jin Hyeonju

Born to a Korean father and a Filipino mother, Jin Hyeonju is a Filipino K-pop idol of Korean descent, who made her debut through Good Day as Lucky and Cignature as Belle. She was born on November 3, 2001 and is the eldest sister in the group.

In January, when announcing the group list, UNIS shocked by the age of its members being revealed. The youngest female idol, Lim Seowon, was born in 2011, this year is only 13 years old. The oldest member was born in 2001 - this year is 23 years old. The fact that the group's debut age is too small and the difference is so large has been ironically mocked by some viewers that Unis's lineup is arranged for a Gen 3 idol to be in the same group as a Gen 5 idol.

Recently, the UNIS girl group had a performance at the event. Here, the girls brought many exciting songs, including a cover of the hit What Is Love? of TWICE's seniors. However, an unfortunate incident occurred at the end of this performance.

Accordingly, the member born in 2007, Kotoko, suddenly fainted on stage while performing. The rest of the members were panicked, and immediately stopped performing to check on Kotoko's condition. Soon after, the spotlight was lowered and the female idol was brought inside to rest.

Netizens were worried about Kotoko's health, so soon after, the female idol posted an article to reassure fans. She shared: "Hello, I'm Kotoko. I am here because I may have made many people worried. His health is gradually recovering when he is resting. So that everyone doesn't have to worry anymore, I will take better care of myself. Thank you everyone for your interest. Thanks to the love of all love, I am gradually getting healthier."

Because they debuted at such a young age, many people felt worried about UNIS, and at the same time criticized the group's management company. In addition to the fact that Kotoko appeared with an appearance so thin that she fainted on stage, netizens continued to wonder if it was the right move to let the girls who should be sitting in school debut too early and then work continuously to the point of exhaustion?